So the past weekend was slightly insane (which seems to be the norm around here…). It seemed like go, go, go. But I think it was mostly my emotions being taken on a hormonal rollercoaster ride. (ie.- I found out for sure that I’m having another baby!) So now you know! 🙂

But truly, it was a busy weekend. My poor mother fed me and mine 3 times in the run of the weekend, and we had 2 BBQs, so I didn’t do a whole lot of cooking. I was in charge of dessert for both BBQs, and somehow managed to ruin both of them. I saved them, but man… It wasn’t a weekend for baking for me (apparently!). Other than the meals, we went for a date on Friday, then we made a small [1 hour both ways] road trip to Costco on Sunday. Yesterday was fairly calm. We took Cael to the duck pond, which was fun (and sunny, which was wonderful). And I decided to paint out a closet in our house to convert it to a bookcase.

And then there was this week… It was just a right off. Between being tired and nauseous (thanks to pregnancy…) and just getting the regular day-to-day stuff accomplished, let’s just say I didn’t feel overly motivated. Anyhow! My motivation has returned (at least for the moment) so here goes!

Found this one on Pinterest. Loved it. Who wouldn’t love chocolate pancakes piled on top of each other with whipped cream in between? It’s a MUST love. And the chocolate pancakes are great by themselves too… (I may have possibly messed up the first few and eaten them… may have…)

Chocolate Pancake Cake

Recipe found on ZoomYummy.com (it has been VERY slightly modified by me)

Spray a pan with oil, (or if you don’t use spray oil, just put some oil in…). Heat it up, and add about 1/2 cup of the batter to the pan. I found that if you put any less than that, it was a real battle to flip the pancake without a disaster occurring.

Cook until bubbles start to form, then flip. Once it is done (both sides should be dry, and not look batter-y), continue the same with the rest of the batter.

To put the cake together, simply layer pancakes and whipped cream. If you aren’t serving it right away, keep it in the fridge. I would wait until right before you serve the cake to drizzle the chocolate syrup and add the garnish. (That way it looks more fresh, less mess.)

**Just a warning – this is going to be a llloooonggg post. But I hope you enjoy it enough to read it all! :)**

Okay, here’s just how crazy I am. At the moment, I’m FINALLY uploading my wedding pictures (from June 2010) to be developed… I don’t have any printed off. And I’m dead serious. (Have I mentioned I am the queen of procrastination? Because that’s true too.) Not to mention baby pictures. We have a baby? You’d never know by my empty photo frames.

Anyhow. We had a great, crazy, busy weekend. My grandmother’s party was a hit. I survived the 5K run. Mother’s Day has come and gone. All that in 2 days. And it just hasn’t seemed to have slowed down very much. I’ve had time to post, I won’t deny, but I’ve chosen to chillax instead. Right now, I’m really still chillaxing.

I have to share this picture with you. I just stumbled on it in choosing what pictures to get printed (this is a most certainly…).

You see, my brother Caleb got the brilliant idea of a turban for Cael a few months ago. And now I do variations. How do you like Biker-Cael-with-the-Cheesies? I think he’s pretty darn cute, to tell the truth.

So! I thought I’d let you in on the 75th Birthday Bash. The cake turned out pretty good (gave me a huge headache, but worth it… right?). Along with my pan of squares, orange vanilla scones, two batches of shortbread cookies, AND 20 roast beef wraps. I was flying on Saturday. Literally, flying. And slightly scared of crash landing in my mess of an icing-filled kitchen. Mother’s Day, we went out for breakfast, and then we went for ice cream that evening too. 🙂

How do you like my grandmother’s cake?

Doesn’t she look great for 75? If I didn’t know it, I would have guessed 65, seriously.

AND NOW… I’ll share some food with you.

I made and photographed these awhile ago. They are a standard in every household, but I like to believe that these are the BEST of their kind. Give it up for Chococlate Chip Cookies!

*Warning – this makes a big batch. But they go fast, so don’t even worry about it!*

This recipe is from a family friend. The recipe says that the oatmeal is “optional”, but I would say that it is actually quite MANDATORY. You choose in the end, but I’d advise adding oatmeal over not. 🙂

Chocolate Chip Cookes

2016-10-14 20:09:17

Yields 4

The best chocolate chip cookies! Chewy and crisp around the edges - absolutely the best!

Add in those eggs and mix until pale and fluffy. Throw in the salt and vanilla. Stir.

Dump in the flour, baking soda, and oatmeal, and mix until combined.

Add chocolate chips and give a good stir.

Drop onto cookie sheets and bake for 10-11 minutes, or until slightly browned. Let rest on cookies sheets for 2-3 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled. (Or just eat them

By Kayleigh

Adapted from Family Friend

Adapted from Family Friend

Whisks and Wooden Spoons http://whisksandwoodenspoons.com/

Mix together fats and sugars. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt!

The batter will look something like this:

Doesn’t it make you want to lick the beaters?

Next, add the salt, flour and baking soda, and beat until smooth. Add the oatmeal and chocolate chips.

Bake for about 10 minutes (or until slightly browned). They are awesome RIGHT out of the oven. And almost equally awesome days later.

Please enjoy these on this nice spring Victoria Day LONG WEEKEND! Woot. Do it up.

A new picture, just because.

Now if you would be so kind as to not fall asleep while reading these 30 ‘interesting’ things about me! 🙂

30 Day Challenge

Day 6 – Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.

(This could be hard… But here goes!)

1) I love baking, but never follow a recipe exactly

2) I work best under pressure (ie – ‘Queen of Procrastination’)

3) I took Tourism and Hospitality Management at university

4) I love doing cross words (but usually end up cheating for a word or two)

5) Puzzles are awesome

6) I study best at Starbucks

7) My favourite thing to drink at Starbucks is a Skinny Caramel Macchiato

8) There are three books I have read about 10 times each (and would still re-read) – they are all by Eva Ibbotson

9) I have read through the entire Bible once, and am currently trying to do it again

10) I married my high school sweetheart

11) I am so glad I did

12) I have the cutest little boy in the world, who laughs when he burps or farts (quite a boy, huh?)

13) This summer will be the first time I’ve ever stood in a wedding other than my own

14) I have an addiction to mustard coloured things

15) I love my middle name

16) I love wearing dresses, but I also love jeans – it’s a toss-up

17) I love reasons to dress up

18) I love kissing my hubby

19) I love taking university courses (it makes me feel successful)

20) I haven’t weighed myself since the day before I gave birth to my son

21) I own a TON of Coke Cola memorabilia, but rarely drink the beverage

Can I just say that I have a lot on my mind? Because I completely forgot to do the 30 day challenge on my last post. So I figured I’d better post sooner to make up for it (and to share more food because, you know, I bake WAYY too much and am WAYY behind in my posting, so I’ve given up taking photos of a lot because there’s just so much!) Wow. That was a mouthful. Or an eyeful… whatever.

30 Day Challenge

Day 5 – A time you thought about ending your own life.

I’ll have to give you the truth. This is not life shattering, and not interesting in the least… But I can’t say I’ve ever thought about that. Ever. Honestly. Life is great. Even when it’s not, I don’t think it’s smart to ‘play God’, if you know what I mean. It’s not really our choice to end our lives. Yes, they are our lives, but God has given them to us, and He’ll take them away soon enough, when He deems the time is right.

And now I’ll get to the rest of the crazy. First of all, it’s 10:30pm and I’m still baking. A cake to be precise. A cake with 8 eggs and 8 cups of flour (ie – a BIG cake!). The reason for this cake, is that my grandmother is turning 75. And we’re throwing a party for her. A big party. That’s right, the cake needs to be bigger, so onto the chocolate layer I go. (Well, after this post.)

Second of all, I have a zillion other things to bake tomorrow, plus decorate the cake. Decorating cakes for me, is a time when everyone should probably stay out of the house kitchen. I get kind of tense. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. Like, don’t look at me, don’t watch me, don’t speak to me, don’t even breathe around me. Please. (My poor, poor hubby…)

Thirdly, on Saturday, there is a 5k run/walk, and I’m registering… right now for it. Kicking myself in the head, really a race? Man. I need to get back in shape. I’m petrified… But hopefully I’m still alive afterwards, because that’s also the day of the party for my grandmother, AND I have to make sandwich-type food that day too. Hopefully there’s an urn of strong coffee somewhere in my travels that day. An urn. Not a mug. Not a cup. A 20 cup urn. And chocolate. And ice cream. Okay, I’m getting in way over my head now (or I’m just over-tired and actually sharing with you what’s going through my brain).

Okay, and now, I’ve just spent half and hour trying to find a recipe that I made (I DID make it… it DID exist at some point, somewhere) without success.

Nix that!! I just found it! Okay folks. Let the recipe sharing begin. I found this recipe on the Novice Chef, and made a few changes.

Peanut Butter Cream’wiches (The EGG-LESS version – not on purpose)

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup water

3 cups flour

2.5 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together shortening, and sugars. Mix in vanilla, peanut butter and water. Add flour, and baking soda and mix until well combined.

Roll into 1 inch balls and then roll into white sugar. Place on cookie sheet and press with a fork.

Bake for about 8 minutes. Cool, and then fill with Peanut Butter Filling!

Peanut Butter Filling

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup icing sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

Cream all ingredients together, until smooth.

Fill those cookie cream’wiches! (Remember – wait until they are cooled first, or you’ll have peanut butter soup between two cookies.)

**NOTE: The first thing I baked in my own house, and I was pumped to make them. New house, peanut butter cookies with PEANUT BUTTER FILLING?! Who wouldn’t be pumped? Anyhow, I started putting things together in a mixing bowl, and discovered there were no eggs. Devastated, or what? I decided to improvise… So that’s how the recipe changes came about. If you want your cookies too look as pretty as the Novice Chefs, use eggs. Just thought you should know.

In ending this post tonight, I just wanted to share a passage with you guys. I read it yesterday, and I found it really encouraging. You’ll find it in the Psalms.

“Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”Psalm 25:4-5 ESV

The whole chapter is really great, but these two verses just really stood out to me the other morning. Teach me, lead me. That is what I want.

I had a great weekend. I know this post is late in coming, but I have been feeling slightly exhausted… So that’s my excuse. There you have it folks, Kayleigh is exhausted. But getting better. 🙂

Back to my weekend. My parents went away for the night on Friday, so I was going to keep my youngest brother for the night. I had the [brilliant!] idea of inviting his best friend over, and her little sister ended up joining us too. So I actually had some female company for once, and we weren’t outnumbered, which was really weird, but great.

This is our story. Friday night, we had s’mores on my new fire pit thing (that my wonderful parents-in-law bought me for my birthday) – the kids loved it. And I LOVED watching them have fun. They snuggled up on the driveway with blankets and roasted marshmallows and stuffed their faces.

Then we came inside and they snuggled in to watch ‘The Quest for Camelot’ (my most favourite movie ever).

Then came bedtime (midnight). (One of my other brothers decided to crash here that night too (he was in for it… keep reading, haha)). One slept on a couch, two on the floor, and my brother took the other couch. I didn’t hear them at all until 7 the next morning (I got to sleep in!!). However, my brother wasn’t quite so lucky. Apparently, they had been awake since 5:30.

Anyhow, I got them settled into another movie (Robin Hood) and they enjoyed some ‘baby tea’** while I started cleaning up and getting ready for breakfast. After the movie, breakfast still wasn’t ready, so they took some chalk to the driveway and coloured it up.

**Baby tea is really milked down, sugared up tea. About 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 cup tea and fill to the top with milk. Kids love it, and get to feel ‘grown up’ too.

Breakfast menu – Homemade waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, smoothies and perked coffee (for those old enough to have it). Breakfast went great.

The youngest girl told me that ‘You make the best waffles ever!’ Then she thought about it for another minute, and decided she’d better not say that, so she changed to, ‘You make the second best waffles ever (after Mommy)’.

I thought it was pretty cute. After breakfast, we went for a walk, and then made cards for my Dad for his birthday. Then their mom came and picked them up, and I had to get started on my dad’s birthday supper and cake! Whew. What a day.

So – my father had a birthday and I want to share his cake with you!

He requested a Hershey recipe that he loves to make (and eat too, apparently!).

The link to the recipe is here. I’ll type it out for you too though. I did make a few changes to the buttercream icing, so I’ll give you my version of that. 🙂 Hope you enjoy! The icing is amazing – just to warn you.

Oh oh oh! And I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer for the first time ever! It was really awesome. I can’t wait to use it again. I know, I know, you’re probably asking yourselves why I haven’t used it before. Well, I am slightly old school, and a tad lazy. Old school: I tend to use a wooden spoon or a hand mixer for a lot of things (but I just couldn’t for cake, it needed a REAL tool). And lazy: I just didn’t want to drag the mixer over to my counter (it won’t reach the plug in my under-sized kitchen) and then have to clean all the parts… *sigh. But it was totally worth it.

Pour into two 9×9 cake pans that have been greased and floured. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, and then take them out of the pans and cool them on wire racks. Frost with One Bowl Chocolate Buttercream Icing.

One Bowl Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup margarine, softened

2 2/3 cups icing sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Beat butter until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients, and beat until smooth. If it’s too runny, add more icing sugar, and if it’s too thick, add some more milk! Easy as that. Now frost that cake.

It’s sooo good. I hope you really like it. And I’d use the icing on just about any recipe that you need chocolate icing for – it’s super good.

So, it was my birthday yesterday, and I had a request for a birthday post. I do realize that it’s not my birthday today, so technically, this is the day-after-my-birthday post. But I warned her that I would probably be late in doing this… I enjoyed every second of my birthday doing other things. 🙂

{I think Cael had a good day too.}

I’m getting on in my journey towards 30, which is pretty crazy. I had decided a long time ago, that I really wanted to reach 20, but after that, I would just stay 20 forever. So let’s just say I’m 20. And I’ll say that forever. Sounds pretty good to me. What do you think? Will it work? Will it have staying power?

Aging is not actually something that bothers me. I love getting older. And I think I always will. It means that I’ve made it through another year. And this past year was pretty exciting. I had my first baby [EVER!], and we bought our first house. I’d say that’s a fairly productive year (if you were going to ask me what I thought…).

So to my birthday! It was awesome! I always feel let-down by birthday (well, not always, but sometimes). Because you wait for them all year, and then they’re not entirely awesome, and then it’s a day gone and you have to wait 365 more days until the next one. But yesterday when I woke up, I decided that I was going to make it a good day. It’s all about how you think, and how your heart is. Wake up with a prayer and sunshine outside your window, and I’d say it’s going to be a pretty good day. I got an awesome hug from my hubby first thing, and then went to my mother’s house for a shower! For those who don’t know, we don’t have a shower at our new house, so this was a really great thing.

Then, I made the frosting and filling for my birthday cake! Mom had already made the chocolate cake. I made myself a hot chocolate, and helped myself to lots of the chocolate cream cheese frosting. Then I had my dad’s amazing chili for lunch, and Cael, Mom, and I walked back to my house, stopping to visit my grandparents along the way.

Keep reading, the awesome continues.

{Don’t you love the scarf?! It was a gift from an amazing family.}

After I put Cael down for a nap, I was going to go outside to clean up a garbage mess that some rambunctious raccoons had made through the night. BUT, on my way down the driveway, an amazing family came barreling up in their minivan. With tidings of the best coffee ever, homemade birthday cards and origami, a present AND cookies. Like, the best day ever, right?

Over coffee and cookies, we hung out and talked for quite awhile. Eventually, I lost track of a few of the boys in the family, and they came in my door bearing a bag with all of the garbage! They picked it up for me! Yay! So happy at this point.

Soon came suppertime at my parent’s house, with all my family, and a friend. Do you know what the best dinner ever is (in my books)? It consists of BBQ chicken, BBQ potato slices, vegetables, Greek salad, corn bread, and butternut squash.

Followed by my favourite cake EVER. Let me describe this cake to you. This chocolate cake recipe, made into three layers. The layers are filled with whipped cream, and then the whole cake is iced with chocolate cream cheese icing. Pretty close to perfect. Mind you, the cake never stands up quite straight, but that does nothing to how wonderful it tastes.

Then, there were presents. Enough said.

Around 9 o’clock, I convinced my hubby to watch a chick flick with me. Flicked through Netflix, and chose Vanity Fair. I must say, it was pretty good. He was bored, but oh well. My birthday, right? 😉 (Thanks babe for watching it with me.)

So there you have it. That is most of my birthday summed up in, well… I guess it wasn’t really summed up. Quite detailed actually. Oh well.

Place first cake layer on a plate, top with whipped cream. Repeat for next layer. After you’ve placed your third layer on, coat the entire cake with the chocolate cream cheese icing. The more you can slap on, the better.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup margarine, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 heaping Tbsp cocoa

3 cups icing sugar

Cream the cream cheese, margarine, and vanilla together. Add cocoa and sugar, and beat until smooth. Frost that cake!

Whipped Cream Filling

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup icing sugar

Whip together until firm peaks appear. Fill that cake! Do it.

Enjoy. It’s really the best thing since sliced toast bread. (That actually went through my brain, I had to write it. Toast is completely different from bread, right?)

30 Day Challenge

Day 4 – Your views on religion

Religion, as such, is not something I believe in. Religion is performing acts to achieve a purpose, normally eternal peace, life, etc. Works does not get you these things. Obedience does not get you these things. The sole way to salvation is through Christ Jesus; believing in Him, that He died for you, that you’re a sinner and he can reconcile that.

“I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6

He is the only way. You can never work your way into heaven. There is no possible way we can be good enough on our own. Only through Christ’s death and His covering of our sins, can we come to God.